Update: I do not like to change content once I’ve published it on “Hear! Hear!” because I don’t want any appearance of dishonesty. I have removed the link to the video in question, however, as it was not officially produced by the band as the YouTube page made me believe. Luke Messimer was unaware it had been published as the official video for the song, and the video has also been removed officially from YouTube for copyright infringement. The text of the review, however, remains as originally written. I’d encourage you all to listen to the album below, because the music here truly is good, video or no.

Dancing hot chicks sell music, so it’s easy to see why Northern Youth (a.k.a. songwriter Luke Messimer) chose to market his song “She’s In The Wild” the way he does via the Girls Gone Wild aesthetic of this rather shameless video. That’s a shame, because the over-sexed video overshadows what’s really a solid indie pop single, as Northern Youth successfully merges recent Noah and the Whale’s eighties-inspired pop earnestness with distinctive vocals he can call his own. The infectious chorus should draw listeners in to hear more from full-length debut Home. Trust me, when we set aside unnecessary gimmicks and let the music speak for itself, everyone wins.